Mt. Kilimanjaro Recommendations
Some of our top recommendations for everything around the mountain.
What’s it like up there?
The first attempt at a nap
“I’d been awake most of the night, struggling for breath in the meager air “
Jon Krakauer from “Into Thin Air”
Cheyne-Stokes
No, this isn’t the newest diet fad or a way to stop someone from choking.
This is the name given to the process of running short of oxygen and being jolted awake by the horrible feeling of suffocation while attempting to sleep at significant altitude. Both my son and I experienced this potential altitude effect while cocooned in our minus-20 rated bags during our memorable night at Crater Camp (18,800ft), before our summit of Kilimanjaro the following morning.
“Sleeping is a problem for most high-altitude climbers due to a phenomenon known as Cheyne-Stokes breathing. While dozing, the climber breathes normally for a minute and then stops completely for thirty seconds. Suddenly, breathing resumes at an accelerated rate. One minute you sound out of breath, the next, dead. It is often more disconcerting for the tent mate than the sleeper.”
John Roskelley from “Nanda Devi, the tragic expedition.”
Please understand this missive is for edification not condemnation because I was the flatlander who had chosen to climb the Western Breach and camp just under the summit. I was the flatlander who thought doing an overnight at 18,800 ft. would be the experience of a lifetime. And I’m the one who wouldn’t trade that sleepless night with my son for anything in the world.
Date: April 12th, 2007 |
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Summit Beer at Kilimanjaro Summit
You know you are a true beer enthusiast, if you pack a beer all the way from the United States to Tanzania, Africa. And then you proceed to carry the beer for seven days up Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. Well, Charles P. Beauzay did just that! Charles - you deserve a free keg for that!
Date: March 22nd, 2007 |
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Women Porters on Kilimanjaro
You don’t see or hear of many women porters on Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s generally a man’s world on the mountain, as most of the women are at home, working on the farm, taking care of all the children, and going to the market, and to fetch water. But this woman, Esther Crispin, has managed to break into the porters business and works on the mountain fairly regularly, hoping to one day be a guide.
This quote of Esther’s is pretty indicative of msot porters dreams too, except for the part of being a …
Date: February 22nd, 2007 |
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Shira Camp Rescue
I received another phone call today from two clients on Shira Camp on Mount Kilimanjaro. Apparently the 15 year old boy, with his father, is having trouble on the mountain. He is tired, has a headache, and they have been trekking through the rain for eight hours. They will probably will not continue, but I will find out tomorrow morning.
The benefit this group has is there is an emergency descent route located nearby. Just a few hours from Shira Camp is an emergency road where rescue vehicles can transfer people down the mountain and back to their hotel. If …
Date: January 31st, 2007 |
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Waking Up on Mount Kilimanjaro
There is nothing harder to starting your day of trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro than a good old fashion rain storm. It happens on Kilimanjaro quite often and can make your day much more difficult than you expected - it’s cold, raining, windy, and the breakfast is late. It’s not going to be every morning that you will wake up and watch the sunrise over Africa. Fortunately, it the dry season on Kilimanjaro the rains storms are short and quick, so later in the day, the temperatures can be soarings, and you might be …
Date: January 22nd, 2007 |
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Climber Dies on Kilimanjaro
It’s always sad to see this happen, but a climber on Kilimanjaro died. This seems to happen a few times per year, but it should not discourage you from going to climb the mountain yourself. There is a small handful, possibly 10, that die on the mountain each year - and it’s usually from summiting the mountain to fast.
Read
Kilimanjaro Climber Dies
Date: March 26th, 2007 |
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Picture of the week 12
This photograph shows the remote Moir campsite as we arrived. The knob on the upper right is the place we hiked to the second day to continue our acclimatization program.
The slog to Moir Camp was my toughest day on the trial.
The Lariam (malaria preventive) side effects had me spooked to the point I thought my guides were conspiring against me. This was, of course, total paranoia on my part as it was, indeed, our guides that gently put me straight.
(If you choose to use a malaria preventive, I recommend staying away from Lariam. This child of …
Date: March 19th, 2007 |
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Would Jesus Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?
I have to admit, I am not religious and personally don’t approve of missionary work in Africa. Sure, they build orphanages and hospitals in the community, which are wonderful and do great things, but they are also responsible for decimating many indigenous religions that survived for thousands of years, probably long before Christianity.
I stumbled across this interesting link today. It’s a Climb For Christ event where people climb Kilimanjaro, and then talk about how God could better serve the people of the Kilimanjaro region.
You have to be kidding me, …
Date: February 14th, 2007 |
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Forget Satellite Phones: Text Message from Kilimanjaro Mountain
Not only have I text messaged my wife on Kilimanjaro, I also have been receiving regular updates from one of my Israeli clients who is currently climbing the mountain with his 15 year old son. Yori, an airline pilot, has been planning to climb the Kilimanjaro with his son for the last year, and we at BootsnAll have been working to plan his trip. They have been training on some some small hills in Israel and doing regular hikes on the weekends. Yori is a good guy - taking his soon …
Date: January 30th, 2007 |
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Rongai Route: A Story
I stumbled upon a good story in one of BootsnAll’s blog about hiking the Rongai route of Mount Kilimanjaro. If you want to read a day-to-day account of this guys experience climbing Kilimanjaro, you might want to check it out. It’s pretty good. I like how his guide got pissed off because the tip was too little. It’s really important to set the expectation with the guides that tips are “earned” not just given. If the guide gives you any slack, tell the company he works for.
Read the Rongai route story.
Date: January 19th, 2007 |
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